I'll plant this post here before I get around to adding info to websites ...

Even though I could only make it to half of today's ALL West of EnglandConference, I came away with loads of ideas and loads of inspiration thanks to the superb organisation by ALL members and the quality of the speakers.

Rachel Hawkes is just so incredibly talented in absolutely all aspects of leading and managing languages ... but somehow manages to put her ideas across in a way which makes mere mortals feel 'actually, we could perhaps do that' .. (though she wisely suggests that we should not try to do it all at once!). She suggested that we pick one of the ideas to concentrate on .. and I think the one I'll start on is the idea of creating 'character cards' (e.g. tu es bavarde / tu es timide at the most basic .. coudl build up to more ...) and dish them out to accompany the role plays you ask them to do (where, as Rachel observes, pupils are rarely in 'role' nor engaged in a particualrly 'playfu;' activity!!!!!) Perhaps this is something we coudl build up within mflresources ... a big bank of 'character cards' ... The link with her name take syou to her blog which contains all the presentations she gives .. this is a real plus I feel .. so often, resources are the key to actually following up what you learn at an event like this.

I was very impressed with Steve Mulgrew' s ideas and quality presentation and shall probably be buying all of the 7 ICT 'gadgets' he showed us: Echobot, Talking Tins, Talking Postcards, metal detector, easi-speak an dBee-bot all from the TTS group, + Talking photo album from Talking Products, and I shall tell them who directed me to their site .. the man deserves commission I feel!!!! I hope he'll be able to come along to do a session for ALL London some time.

Tomorrow I'll put together a draft plan for the nesxt ALL London event - June 13th - French Institute confirmed! ... following a stimulating ALL London committee meeting ..